A World Cup referee from Somalia has been barred from entering the U.S.A. due to suspected ties to a Somalian Muslim terrorist group.
Omar Abdulkadir Artan had been picked to officiate at the World Cup games to be played in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, but as soon as he arrived at Miami International Airport, U.S. Customs and Border Protection detained him for eleven hours, the New York Post reported.
U.S. officials later confirmed that the 33-year-old ref was barred from entry due to “association with suspected members of a terror organization,” specifically the Al Shabaab terrorist organization.
The paper added that US Africa Command has called Al Shabaab “the largest, wealthiest, and most lethal Al Qaeda affiliate,” and says the group “poses the greatest danger to US citizens and interests in East Africa and is a threat to the United States.”
Artan, who has been listed as an official with FIFA since 2018, reportedly denied any ties to Al Shabaab, but U.S. officials say there is reason to doubt his claims.
Andrew Giuliani, the executive director of the White House FIFA Task Force, says there is a “very good reason” that Artan was sent back to Somalia.
“While I can’t go into the derog on that, I can tell you it was the right decision by customs and border patrol, and I support that decision,” Giuliani told the media.
“Anybody who’s communicating with bad actors… are not going to be admitted,” he added.
President Trump has placed a temporary ban on visitors and immigrants from Somalia, a country that has been designated a “terrorist safe haven,” where Muslim terrorists “plan, facilitate and conduct their operations.” It is also a “destination country” for people around the world to join terror networks, the White House says.
For his part, Artan says that all his paperwork and visas were in order and insists that “I think that they have a problem with my country.”
Somalia’s Prime Minister, Hassan Ali Khair, said he is “deeply disappointed” over the situation.
“He represents not only Somalia, but also the aspirations of millions of young Africans who believe excellence should be recognized on the world stage,” the PM added.
Somali migrants have been responsible for stealing hundreds of billions of U.S. tax dollars through fraudulent childcare and healthcare companies in states all across the U.S., including Minnesota, Ohio, and New York. And in Minnesota, dozens of Somali migrants have been charged in the “Feeding Our Future” scandal. Some have been convicted, and others are still at trial.
The World Cup is set to kick off on June 11 and will be played at venues in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico through June 19.
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